This project is concerned with two principal areas of investigation. The first involves an effort to identify, isolate, culture and evaluate potential food organisms for predaceous Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) larvae. The eventual goal is to achieve formulation of suitable diets for use in laboratory colonization and studies of larval behavior. The second emphasis is on the study of sexual behavior and physiology in Culicoides and other bloodsucking genera of the family. Present concern is particularly centered on the investigation of sex pheromones, their chemical identities and roles in mediating behavior.